Givat Yonah is also an archaeological mound, which makes it the best place to appreciate how this city, which started out in the Bible as a Philistine town, has expanded––thanks to its port, industries and its energetic new immigrant community––to a showcase city of over 200,000. The wide boulevards that cross its new neighborhoods, with their gleaming white Mediterranean-style apartment houses and numerous parks, show the meticulous planning that has made Ashdod an inviting place to live and to visit.
As you tour the city, look for the Blue Route tourist signs, which explain various points of interest. In northwestern Ashdod you can take a relaxing walk along the Lachish Stream promenade where a free zoo features zebras, rare Berber sheep, deer, ostriches and other animals. Try to time your stroll to end with a romantic sunset where the stream meets the sea.
In the southeastern part of town is "Ad Halom" Park: The "Ad Halom" (“thus far”) Bridge, dating back to Turkish times, is the furthest point north the Egyptian army reached during the War of Independence. A war memorial and lookout tell the story, and following the 1977 Israeli-Egyptian peace treaty, Israel invited Egypt to build the obelisk-shaped memorial you’ll see here.
For art lovers, there’s the new glass-roofed “winged” Ashdod Art Museum. And don’t miss the Corinne Maman Museum, with its unique interior design echoing the city’s ancient history (the focus of the museum), along with changing exhibits of Israeli artists.